This invention relates generally to an apparatus used to clean an aqueous solution of unwanted particulate and more particularity relates to a magnetic separator apparatus used to clean an aqueous solution of unwanted magnetic particulate by using a conveyor chain with polypropylene bars having an unique configuration of barium ceramic magnets incorporated therein. This magnetic separator apparatus may be continuously run through the "dirty" solution. In particular, such an aqueous solution is used to clean car and truck bodies and other component parts prior to being immersed into zinc phosphate and zinc chromate baths used to coat the surfaces of these parts and assemblies.
There are many common methods and means used in the prior art to clean aqueous solutions of unwanted particulate. One traditional method is the insertion of magnetic rods directly into the aqueous solution. This type of cleansing or particulate-purging methodology, however, is flawed because of the necessity to frequently manually remove the rods having accumulated metal particulate deposited thereon. These rods must then be cleaned of unwanted particulate and then be inserted back into the aqueous solution. As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this cleaning methodology is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It will be understood that another flaw found in this prior art methodology is that the effectiveness of the magnets used to purge dirt and the like from the solution is greatly diminished as such magnetic dirt builds up on the rods.
Another type of methodology known in the art that is used to clean aqueous solutions of unwanted particulate is the passage through the solution of a stainless steel conveyor belt impregnated with magnets. This type of conveyor belt based cleaning, however, does not adequately and efficiently purge the aqueous solution of all unwanted particulate. That is, such a cleaning process is typically not efficient because the effectiveness of the magnets is drastically reduced by the total encasement of the magnets in the stainless steel conveyor belt. Accordingly, this type of design tends to reduce the strength of the magnetic fields emanating from the impregnated magnets.
For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,497, Creps et al. teach a hold-down mechanism for scraper conveyor foruse in a settling tank having a flat bottom, an inclined side extending from an arcuate corner along side of bottom, and a drag-out conveyor means along bottom and up the inclined side. This mechanism is used for the removal of solids from liquids such as cuttings in coolants. Toshiro et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,228, disclose a magnetic belt conveyor for magnetic particle separation in a storage tank. A magnet is disposed beneath the forward run of the belt conveyor to extend in the direction of running thereof. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,542, Linsruth teaches a magnetic separator conveyor that uses a plurality of spaced magnets carried on an endless chain drive to magnetically clean a liquid solution from ferrous particulate. The prior art, has generally been unable to provide an apparatus having a effectively configured and sufficiently sustained magnetic field to enable magnetic particulate from being completely purged from dirty solutions.
Accordingly, these limitations and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention, and improved means and techniques are provided which are useful for cleaning an aqueous solution of unwanted magnetic particulate and the like.